Supporting means for golf bags



Oct. 9, 1928. 1,686,774

E. A. SFERRY SUPPORTING MEANS FOR GOLF BAGS Filed Sept. 10- 1920 2Sheets-Sheet 1 5141mm to c Oct. 9, 1928.

' 1,686,774 E. A. SPERRY SUPPORTiNG MEANS FOR GOLF BAGS Filed Se t. 10.1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER A. SPERRY, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SUPPORTING MEANS FOR GOLF BAGS.

Application filed September 10, 1920. Serial No. 409,308.

This invention relates to improvements in supporting means for golf bagsor containers. Owing to the rapid rise in popularity of the game of golfand the increasing difficulty in securing caddies it isbecoming'necessary for players to carry their own clubs. The constantdropping of the clubs at each shot is likely to cause damage to theclubs and .the subsequent'stooping to pick up the bag causes extrafatigue- The weight of the player figures in this process and requiresabout twenty-five times the exertion represented in toting the bag.Stoopalso prevents the player from keeping the lie of the ball, which isexhis eye on tremely necessary in theabsense of caddies.

' tion as'applied to a golf bag, the partsbeing The chief object of.my-invention is to provide a golf bag or container which, when set down,will be automatically upstanding and which can readily be picked upwithout the necessity of the player stooping or losing the location ofthe shot.

Another object is the provision of means simple in construction'andreliable in operation for automatically causing the bag to stand as atripod when placed on the; ground, in combination with means for caus-img the aforesaid means to assume itslnoperg ative position when the bagis picked up.

A further object of 'the invention is to provide a device as anattachment to an ordinary bag and also to incorporate in the operatingmechanism certain essential cushioning means and also resilientretractile means. i

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description ofthe in: vcntion is hereinafter developed.

Referringto the drawings wherein I have shown what I now consider to bethe preferred forms of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my invenshown in the position which theyassume when not in use for supporting the bag.

Fig. 2 isa side view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a'front elevation showing the invention in operative positionfor supporting the golf bag.

Fig. 4: is a side view of Fig.

h Fig. 5 is a rear view of one'of the elements of the supporting means,certain attachments thereto being omitted.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a detail.

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views illustrating a modified-form of myinvention.-

Fig. 9 is a detached detail.

Fig. 10 is a section through the clamping means at the upper end of thebag.

The attachment for supporting the golf bag 1 is shown as comprising amember 2, which may be of wood or other suitable light material of therequired stifiness, to which are pivotally secured supporting legs 3 and4. As shown, the leg 3 "may be pivoted between ears 5, 5 formed onmembers 5 5 suitably secured near member 2, said ears extending from oneside thereof, while leg 4 may be pivotally mounted between similar ears6, 6 also the top of formed on said members 5 5 said ears extending fromthe opposite side thereof. Ears 5., 5 and 6, 6' are inclined withrespect to the plane of member 2, so that the pivotal axes of legs 3 and4 are inclined with re down.' For attaching member 2 to the bag 1.Various means'may be employed, one example' of which I have shown inFigs. 1', 3, 5, and 6 and which may be constructed substantially asfollows:

Plates 7 and 8 of suitable stiff material may be secured adjacent the'top and bottom, respectively, of bagl. While these plates might besecured to the outside of the golf bag, I have for'illustrative purposesshown said plates within said bag. To the lower end of member 2, and onthe rear side thereof, a metal plate 9 may be secured, said plateextending beyond the end of member 2 and having therein a slot 10positioned be- 11. The slot 10 is of a'length and width sufficient tofit over a'longitudinal projection 12 having a stem 13 and secured to,the outside of bag 1 as by means of a base plate 14 integral with saidstem and fixed by means of screws to plate 8. The enlarged portion 11 ofslot 10 is of a size to receive stem 13 and said stem is of a lengthsubstantially equal to the thickness of member 2. It Will now be seenfrom this construction that if member 2 be turned to a position at rightangles to the longitudinal axis of the golf bag, projection 12 may bepassed through slot 10, and thereupon, by turning member 2 to a positionparallel to the longitudinal axis of the bag, the lower end jof'saidmember will be clamped b'etween ljprojection 12 and base plate 14 on thebag. The upper end of member 2 maybe secured to the plate 7 within bag 1by means of a screw 15 adapted to pass through one 90f a plurality ofapertures 16 in a plate "17 secured to said upper end of said member 2,and thence into a suitable aperture in plate 7. While only one aperture16 may be provided, if desired, ll prefer to utilize a plurality of suchapertures, so that if the length of the bag should vary, as throughstretching of the bag, the screw 15 may be passed through that one ofapertures 16 which registers with the screw receiving aperture in plate7. Any desired number and suitable arrangement of said apertures 16 may,of course, be utilized. The screw 15 may be swiveled to one end of achain 18 attached to member 2 so that said screw will be connected tosaid member when not in use, as shown in Fig. 1.

Slidable within guides 19 and 20 on member 2 is a thrust rod 21 whichcarries a cross head 22 to which links 23 and 24 are pivoted. Said linksare pivotally connected at their other ends to legs 3 and 4,respectively. The crosshead 22 is shown in the form of a sleevesurrounding thrust rod 21 and is slidable with respect to said rod.linterposed be tween the lower end of said crosshead and an abutment 25on rod 21 is a compression spring 26 which serves as a cushion betweensail rod and crosshead. This is a highly important feature of myinvention since without such=- cushioning means a sudden and violentupward movement of rod 21 would be likely to shear the pivot pinsconnecting links'r23 and 24 with the crosshead and legs 3 and 4. litwill readily be seen that the spring 26 permits relative motion betweenrod 21 and crosshead 22 and cushions any sudden shocks which mightotherwise be imparted to said crosshead.

The lower end portion of rod 21 is adapted to fit within a sleeve 27slidably mounted reserve in guides 28, 29 adjacent the bottom of member2 and terminating beyond said bottom in a substantially hemisphericalpro ect on or foot 30 having a flattened bottom Guide 29 may be mountedon a plate 40 similar to plate 9 and attached to the front of member '2.The upper portion 27 of said sleeve 27 is split as shown, and may beclamped tightly to rod 21 bymeans of a screw 31 passlng through suitableprojections on the flange 35 at the upper end of the split portions ofsaid sleeve. The said split portions may,'of course, be suflicientlyresilient to unclamp said sleeve from rod 21 when screw 31 is turned inthe proper direction. By this A spring 32 is interposed between guide I20 and a projection 33 on rod 21 so that when rod 21 is moved upwardlysaid spring is compressed and, when the bag is lifted from the ground,said spring will return rod 21 and sleeve 27lto their normal positionsshown in Figs. 1 and 2. Crosshead 22 is maintained by spring 26 inengagement with a collar 34 fixedly secured to rod 21, which collar,when thrust rod 21 is moved down wardly, restores crosshead 22 to itsnormal position and thereby brings legs 3 and 4 to their inoperativepositions. Downward movement of rod 21 may be limited-either by anabutment 35 on the upper end of sleeve 27 engaging guide 28, or by anabutment 36 at the upper end of thrust rod 21 engaging a guide 19.Movement of rod'21 upwardly is limited by the engagement of foot 30 Withthe underside of guide 29.

lit will be seen that, with sleeve 27 adjusted to bring foot 30 belowthe bottom of the bag to whichmember 2 is attached, said foot willcontact with the ground when the bag is set down, and the gravity of theassembly including the bag and clubs will cause thrust rod 21 to bemoved upwardly, compressing spring 32 and moving crosshead 22 throughspring 26 to throw legs 3 and 4 away from the bag and into their supporting positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The

golf bag is thus supported and is prevented I from falling to theground, and subsequent stooping to pick up the bag is thereby renderedunnecessary. The parts should be so proportioned that foot 30, when inits fully elevated position, projects below the bottom of the bag, sothat the full weight of, the bag and clubs contained therein may beapplied to holding thrust rod 21 elevated against the action of spring32 and consequently to maintaining legs 3 and 4 in their supportingpositions.

When the bag is lifted from the ground, spring 32 restores thrust rod21, foot 30, and crosshead 22 to their positions shown in Figs. land 2and thereby moves legs 3 and 4 into their inoperative positions.Preferably the spring 32 possesses sufiicient initial tension tomaintain legs 3 and 4 in firm engagement with the golf bag on eitherside of member 2 even when the bag is carried in a horizontal position.In the closed or in operative position of the legs 3 and 4 the links 23and 24 should assume positions at substantial angles to the axes of saidlegs, so that not only may said links aid spring 32 in maintaining saidlegs against the golf bag, but also upon upward movement of crosshead 22the said links will immediately cause said legs to move away from saidbag and into their operative positions. It will ments in Figs.

readily be seen that outward movement of the legs to their ositions forsupporting the bag is 'permitte by the inclination of the pivotal axesof said'leg with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bag.

The legs 3 and 4 are preferably provided with enlarged ends 37 whichends may be spherical, as shown. The shape of foot 30 is particularlyuseful sincethe flat bottom thereof affords maximum supporting contactwith the ground, while the rounded upper surface will offer a-minimum ofresistance to being dragged through the grass, or along the ground.

As has been above pointed out, it is important that the foot 30 be belowthe bottom of the bag even when said foot is fully elevated. Itsometimes happens, however, that the bag stretches, so that the fullyelevated position of said foot 30 is above the bottom of the bag. Inorder to prevent this and to rovide means for insuring that the foot 30shall be below the bottom of the bag even when said foot is fullyelevated, I have provided the means shown in Figs. 7 and 8 andconstructed substantially as follows:

The sleeve 27 is adapted to fit slidably within another sleeve 38slidable within a a guide 29' attached to member- 2'. Ele- 7 and 8corresponding with similar elements in Figs. 1-6 are designated by thesame reference numerals with a prime added. The sleeve 38 also passesthrough a clamping device 39. By loosening said clampthe sleeve-38 maybe moved to any of a plurality of positions on member 2 and maythereupon be clamped in its adjusted position. The normal position ofsaid sleeve is shown in Fig. 7, wherein the lower end of said sleeve ispositioned substantially in the same plane as the lower end of guide 29.If however, the bag stretches, as shown in Fig. 8, sleeve 38 may beadjusted stroke of rod 21 and sleeve '27.

to the position shown in the latter figure,

and the lower end of said sleeve thus forms a stop for foot 30' toprevent the foot from assuming a position'above the bottom of the bag.It will be seen that in either position of sleeve 38 the top of saidsleeve may coact with projection 35 on sleeve 27 to limit the downwardmovement of thrust rod 21. Sleeve 38 is preferably shorter than thedistance from the underside of projection 35 to the upper face of foot30 by one normal It will readily be seen that the adjustment 'of sleeve38 permits the normal stroke of the thrust rod 21' and at the same timelimits the upper position of foot 30 to a position below the bottom ofthe golf bag. I

While I have shown my invention as applied to a golf bag, it will beevident that it may be applied to a wide variety of containers for golfclubs or to other types of containers. By the term bag I mean anyreceptacle or container to which my invention may be applied.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have hereindescribed the principle of operation of together with the apparatus,which Iv now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but Idesire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is onlyillustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means.vAlso, While it is designed to use the various features and elements inthe combination and relations described, some of these may be alteredand others omitted without interfering with the more general resultsoutlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1s:

1. In a golf bag support, a plurality'of movable supporting legs, meansfor moving said legs, and means for cushioning the blow transmittedinitially by said first mentioned means to said legs.

2. In a support for golf bags, a plurality of movable supporting legs,means rendered operative automatically when the golf bag is set down formoving said legs into position for supporting the bag and cushioningmeans for cushioning the blow transmitted initially by said firstmentioned means to said legs.

3. In a support for golf bags, a plurality of movable supporting legs,means including a movable element for moving said legs, and

means comprising a resilient member for cushioning the blow transmittedinitially to said element. I

"4. In combination with a container for golf clubs, means renderedoperative automatically when said container is set down for supportingsaid container, and means for on I my invention,

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7. In a support for golf bags, a plurality of movable supporting legs,an element con nected to said legs, a movable thrust member Io nwhichsaid element is loosely mounted, a

cushion means'between said thrust member and said element wherebymovement of said thrust member imparts movement to said element.

8. In a support for golf bags, a plurality of movable supporting legs,means including a sleeve for moving said legs into position forsupporting said bag, a movable thrust member on which said sleeve ismounted, and connecting means between said sleeve and member permittingrelative play there- 'between.

9. In a folding golf bag stand, a plurality of swiveling supportinglegs, a part adapted to be secured to the golf bag, means supportedthereon for controlling the move.- ment of said legs and comprising amovable member, and resilient means in advance of said member, and meansfor actuating said b member through said resilient means.

10. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, amovable thrust member, a crosshead mounted thereon for movement withrespect thereto, connections between said crosshead and said legs, and

cushioning means between said thrust member and said crosshead.

11. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, apart adapted to be secured to the'golf bag, means supported thereonforcontrolling the movement of said legs and comprising amovable member,and

13. In a supporting device for golf bags, a member adapted to be securedto a golf bag, and means for securing said member to said bag at any ofa plurality of points to allow for changes in the length of said bag,said means including a clamp carried by said member, a plate fixed tosaid bag and having a plurality of apertures therethrough, said clampbeing adapted to extend through said bag and the cooperating aperture insaid plate.

14. In a folding golf bag stand, a plurality of swiveling supportinglegs, a member adapted to be secured to a golf bag, means supported onsaid member for controlling the movement of said legs and compris'ng amovable element, means for moving said element and resilient meansbetween said last-named means, and said element, said resilient meansbeing held under initial stress.

15. In a device for supporting a golf bag, a plurality of swivelingsupporting'legs, a

member adapted to be secured to a golf bag,

means supported by said member for controlling the movement of said legsand comprising a movable element, means responsive to the setting downof said bag for moving said element in one direction, and means forcushioning the blow transmitted by said lastnamed means to said movableelement.

16. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs,means including a foot member for moving said legs into position forsupporting the bag, and adjustable means for limiting the movement ofsaid foot member to prevent the same from assuming a position above thebottom of the 11. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swivelingsupporting legs, means including a thrust member for moving said legsinto position for supporting the bag, a foot member connected to saidthrust member and adapted to actuate the latter when the golf bag is setdown, means for limiting the upward movement of said foot member forpreventing the latter from assuming a posi tion above the bottom ofthebag, and means for varying the limit of upward movement of said footmember.

18. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs,means including a thrust element for moving said legs, a foot memberconnected to said thrust element and adapted to move the latter in onedirection when the golf bag is set down, means for moving said elementin the opp0sitedirection, means for limiting the movement of said thrustelement in either of opposite directions, and means for varying saidlimits of movement without changing the length of movement of saidelement.

19. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs,means including a thrust element for moving said legs, a foot memberconnected to said element and to engage the other end of said sleeve onadapted to move the latter in one direction movement of said thrustelement in the op- 10 when the golf bag is set down, means for positedirection, and means whereby said moving said element in the oppositedirecsleeve may be adjusted to vary the limits of tion, a sleeve adaptedto be engaged at one 'movement of said element. 1

end by said foot on movement of the thrust In testimony whereof I haveafiixed my element in one direction, a projection movsignature.

able with said thrust element and adapted v ELMER A. SPERRY.

